Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz is recalling a bunch of cars across a few different models due to a potential issue that could arise with its rear tail lamps, and a separate issue that could potentially result in a fire. The news came to light today in documents posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on its website. The tail light problem was first discovered back in December, and though it has now come to light, there's no word yet on when the recall will be taking place. Likewise, there's no schedule yet for the fire risk recall.

Luxury auto maker Mercedes-Benz has just announced that it will be greatly expanding its lineup of plug-in hybrid models by launching 10 new vehicles between now and 2017. As of now only two models are confirmed for sale in the U.S., but with an aggressive worldwide release of 10 hybrids, it means Mercedes will average a new model every four months. To solidify the company's investment in hybrids, Mercedes is simplifying their branding, dropping the "Plug-in Hybrid" suffix to just add "e" to end of model names.

If there's one thing you won't mistake the F 015 Luxury in Motion for, it's any Mercedes-Benz currently on the road. Previous autonomous development had started with a production car and then added self-driving abilities, Mercedes designer Till Varailhon explained to me; this time around, the team started from scratch: not only in how the car looks and drives, but how it shares space responsibly in the cities of 2030. After the cut, no-go zones, flocks of scurrying research robots, and why Tesla only proves the smart city is inevitable.

When you take away the driving from the driver, what do the meat-popsicles inside an autonomous car do while the AI is at the wheel? That's the question Mercedes-Benz has tackled with the F 015 Luxury in Motion, a dramatically different approach to the future of transportation. Starting with the assumption that space will eventually be the biggest luxury, the self-driving concept treats driving much in the same way that a smartphone does the voice call: just one of many features and, as I discovered when I hitched a ride in the space-age pod, no longer the most important.

Mercedes-Benz dropped jaws back at CES 2015 in January when its autonomous F 015 Luxury in Motion concept drove onto the opening keynote stage. Then, the UFO-like prototype turned heads when the German firm drove it through the streets of San Francisco last week. The size of an S Class but markedly different from every angle, not only can the F 015 drive itself and four people, but do so surrounded with ridiculous levels of both technology and luxury. So, when Mercedes-Benz asked us if we'd like to check out the F 015 in person, an opportunity to get closer to the autonomous car than ever before, we didn't turn them down.

Mercedes-Benz may have brought its self-driving F 015 Luxury in Motion car to the streets of San Francisco unexpectedly, but so far the autonomous concept hasn't been let off its human leash in the city. The F 015, unveiled back at CES in January, was spotted over the past few days in a variety of locations around the West Coast city, and though Mercedes apparently used a trailer for the main transportation, several bystanders reported seeing it in action. At the time, however, the concept's silvered windows meant it wasn't possible to see whether a human or a computer was at the wheel.

If you are an automaker testing out a new driverless car, the place to test them (or at least take photos) is in California apparently. A new Mercedes autonomous car has been seen cruising the streets of San Francisco and it looks like something out of Blade Runner that might take to the skies any second. The car is called the Mercedes F015 Luxury In Motion and was seen in San Francisco on March 4.

This year's season of one of the most iconic sportscar racing events is starting in a few days. To kick off that season, Mercedes-AMG is announcing two of the cars that will headline the race somewhat, without actually taking part in it. Retiring 2010's SLS AMG, Mercedes is announcing its successor, which doesn't really stray far from the tree. The new Mercedes AMG GT S, patterned after 2015 coupe of the same name, will be this season's star when it comes to safety.

Mercedes-Benz has joined the growing number of auto makers hit with problems this year, and as such it'll be recalling about 147,000 cars in the United States -- in this particular case, the decision to recall them is over a potential fire risk. That issue -- that a fire could start as a result of some issue with the car -- has been a common one this year, afflicting models from many auto makers, though the newest Jeep Cherokees are the most notable among them, with several of them having gone up in flames recently.

Apple's car ambitions may have burst into the headlines over the weekend, as chatter surfaced of a hundreds-strong team working on EV and autonomous vehicle tech, but some of the old guard in automotive aren't so convinced we'll see an iCar any time soon. In fact, Daimler chief executive Dieter Zetsche predicts, despite public and private projects underway by Google and other tech luminaries, he sees their collective goal as more about disrupting traditional vehicle technology without going so far as to create four-wheeled alternatives of their own. However, while Zetsche is all for figuring out ways to co-exist and collaborate with tech firms, he's also cautious about giving them too much access to drivers.